Just like that, we are in the last month of 2022. At SR/A, we are always finding new inspiration around us. As the seasons change and one year fades into the next, there’s plenty to give us fresh new ideas. Check out how the end of the year inspires our designers and keeps our creative energy strong!
End-of-the-year travel
Photo by Caroline Boyle
It is a goal of my brother and mine to celebrate New Year’s Eve on every continent. So far, we’ve rung in the New Year on North America (New York City), Europe (Paris), South America (Peru), and Africa (Morocco). From a canvas tent in the Sahara to the Hermès family’s former home in Montmartre, these trips have exposed me to a huge breadth of aesthetic and cultural traditions. Travel is a huge influence on my interior design aesthetic, and these trips have made this time of year transformational, as I am exposed to new ways of thinking, new artists, and craftsmen. It is particularly impactful to travel around New Year’s, as everyone is celebrating the same thing and you get to see what that looks like in different places. A new trip around the sun is something to celebrate, it unites humanity all over the globe, and highlights different traditions, art, songs, and cultural beliefs. It is a great time to get out and see the world with something automatically in common with everyone you meet! – Caroline, Junior Designer
Human Connection
Photo by Amy Hinds
There seems to be a consensus that the end of the year is a busy and hectic time; it is also my favorite time of the year because there are so many opportunities to connect with family and friends. Also, most of the end of the year gatherings revolve around delicious food. Interior Design is centered on the way humans connect with a space. What are the intentions of a space and how can the design best serve that purpose and therefore support those working/living within that space? Especially when designing multifamily projects, connection is key. Residents need to feel connected to their home, the community within the building, and their neighborhood. Designing spaces that provide opportunities for mingling and recreation encourages interaction between residents and supports the human desire for belonging. I love the idea that a design can help advance a community and create places for people to belong; even if it just a simple space perfect for a potluck (seriously the holiday season is all about the food). – Amy, Staff Interior Designer
A Fresh Start
Photo by Jessica Watts Sizemore
At the end of the year I find myself reflecting on all the seasons and events that have passed. It is also a time to dream about what fresh new concepts I can incorporate into next year’s designs since as designers we are called to do more than recycle what we have already seen in the past year. Nature is always a big source of inspiration for me as well as connecting to the location and end users of each project. – Jessica, Creative Operations Director
Reflections on Home
Photo by Sarah Dick
As we approach year’s end, I think a lot about family and the blustery, wet holidays I spent as a child growing up on the Northern California coast. After a day hiking at the beach, it was always the best feeling to come home and have a hot chocolate by the fire. As an interior designer, I am inspired to create spaces that embrace texture, soft colors, and invite conversation during the winter season. – Sarah, Junior Designer
Childlike Wonder
Photo by Jennie Crouch
Though for many of us the last two months of the year can feel like a rush of to-do lists and holiday traditions to tick off, I like to purposefully take a step back and view the season through the eyes of children. To them this time of year is filled with magical moments, opportunities to break the rules (Late bedtimes! Extra dessert!) and surprises around each corner, without all of that adult baggage. It’s a reminder to me that in design those unexpected moments (a little extra bling, perhaps?) are what turn an ordinary space into an extraordinary one. – Jennie, Designer + Renovation Projects Manager
Festive Moods
Photo by Connor Seiger
The end of each year inspires me to get together with the ones I love and make lots of memories I’ll think about year after year. During this season I also find that I’m inspired by all the many different color palettes we see for different holidays and festivities. It can be a fun time to play around those colors and put together a festive mood board. – Connor, Junior Designer
Back to Basics
Photo by Steven Mion
For me, the end of the year is all about paring down. The trees lose their leaves, the plants in the garden go dormant, and I begin my annual process of cleaning out closets and cabinets for holiday donation drives. There’s a beauty in seeing things brought back to their basic elements. Walking through wintry parks with frosted leaves crunching on the ground reminds me the same is true for design. This is a time for me to focus on the fundamentals – the central shapes, forms, colors, and textures that define my design – so that they can flourish in new ways in the coming year. – Steven, Intern
Rediscovering the World
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
When winter finally sets in after the first snow has fallen, and you wake up and find yourself surrounded by what feels like a fresh, new, and unexplored world, something compels you to go outside, make fresh footprints, and spend time in those places you had neglected since summer ended. We (humans) try to draw inspiration from the changing outdoors by decorating our indoor spaces so they don’t feel stale, but this can also be achieved with thoughtful interior design. From small changes – like the way light and shadow affects the space with the low winter sun versus the high summer sun, or even affects it between sunrise and sunset – to amenities like fireplaces that breathe new life into your home, completely changing the function of an entire room, we strive to make spaces feel fresh and new each season, as well as throughout each day. – Paul, Documentation Manager
Looking Ahead
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
The end of the year is a reminder that time keeps running and new things are coming. As designers, our thoughts look forward to novelties and new varieties. For me, the new year signals the transition into a new world, where design also is shaped by its environment and contemporary events. The new year influences me to rethink what has already been done to find out what other new things could possibly be innovated. The new year makes me ponder about what lies ahead and how I can contribute something meaningful that will endure through time. – Adrian, Documentation Specialist
Seasonal Palette
Photo by Amina Elshaer
This time of the year is very inspiring: I love seeing the trees with their beautiful warm colors, the decorative lights lighting up the cities, and the smell of the bonfire and golden marshmallows. It reminds me to be more daring with colors, textures, and to create spaces that are inviting, bold, and full of memories. – Amina, Junior Designer
Changing Seasons, Changing Environments
Photo by Ge Qin
As 2022 comes to a close and the temperature begins to drop, I put away my summer home decor and replace it with plush pillowcases, faux fur blankets, and more cups of hot chocolate than iced coffee. In doing so, I strive to create an environment that is warm and inviting despite the cold weather. I am particularly inspired by holiday patterns and color palettes, as well as wood finishes and wool fabrics and I try to pick similar elements to bring the coziness and warmth into my designs. – Ge, Junior Designer
All About Home
Photo by Sabine Roy
From Halloween on, the holiday season is all about home, coziness, and extraordinary colors. When designing multifamily projects, creating a sense of contentment is central; the change of the seasons makes us yearn for this same contentment and makes the end of the year particularly stimulating. Every year I am amazed at how nature dares to show such strong colors and it inspires me to push my designs further. – Sabine, President and CEO
